We as farmers and ranchers should do all we can to understand sound ecology and manage to make our operations economically and ecologically sustainable. Hopefully this will demonstrate to consumers that we care, we are competent and we can produce an abundance of safe food while caring for the environment....More

Toal hay production in the U.S. has declined by more than 32 million tons since 2000,with two regions comprising most of that loss – the Cornbelt and the Great Plains. How does this trend influence the future of the beef industry?...More

I read recently that during the agricultural era, the identity and value of a man was most often tied to his relationship with his family and his community. Then, in the industrial era, a man came to be defined by his work. But, in today’s information era, which is defined by innovation and technology, a man is uncertain about how to define himself....More

Great managers take calculated risks. They embrace them and have the confidence to overcome them. That is the essential key to risk – not avoiding it, but accepting it and focusing on doing what is possible to maximize the chances for success and minimize the potential for failure....More

After another month of record cattle prices. I’d planned on moving to another subject in my April 2014 column, but I am compelled to the observations of my mid-month price analysis. Figure 1 presents the eastern Wyoming-western Nebraska sale-barn prices for the week of Feb. 15. All steer calves weighing less than 620 lbs. brought over $200/cwt., 800-lb. feeder steers averaged $170/cwt., and 10 head of 1,053-lb. feeder steers sold for $150/cwt....More

I was privileged to spend some time recently with the operations people at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, NE. One of the managers within that group mentioned how much he enjoyed his job, but pointed out that there were some days and events that he could do without. My response was that “every job has its cows to milk.”...More

When anyone in America hears the phrase March Madness, most everyone instantly thinks of college basketball and the excitement of the big annual national tournament. If you’re a rancher, it’s more about crazy, frustrating weather, wild markets and trying to outguess the prognosticators....More

Current corn prices are lowering cost of gain, and current marketing buy/sell margins are putting upward pressure on breakeven cost of gain. Be sure to use a sharp pencil in making your post-weaning marketing plans for your 2013 calves....More